Yankz!

Loose shoelaces were problems that I encountered with the Brooks Green Silence when I raced in the Mizuno 10k and Takbo.ph 16k. Just having to slow down, stop, and kneel to fix the damn thing would cause me about 30sec-1min delay ---time that I don't need especially when gunning for a PR. @paopedal, my triathlete-officemate, encountered the same mishap during one of his running workouts ---wearing the Brooks Green Silence as well. Hmmm, this should be something that Brooks needs to look at.

After the takbo.ph 16k race I decided to buy a pair of Yankz! shoelaces. I've seen this type of laces being used by triathletes (watching the video from the 2010 Ironman Kona Championships). Their "you'll never tie laces again" logo had bought me in.

Installing these laces takes some patience. Just follow the manual inserted, or you can follow the video I found below in YouTube (yeah, almost everything you need to know is in YouTube these days):

Well, I'm happy to say that I am quite satisfied with them Yankz!. I used them in last weekend's Run United2 half-marathon and had no complaints. Oh btw, I used tiewraps for installing the RunRio timing card. Works like a charm!

Run United2 21km: Crushed!

I was doing well for the first half of the race, keeping my pace at around 6:30-ish per km. I have set my GF305 to countdown from 2:20 ---my hopeful target time--- so I believed that I was in pace even though I was zig-zagging my way among the 3,300 other 21km runners who registered at the first few kms (2,100+ actually finished 21k as per the race result page).

The effect of lacking long runs (longest at 15k) was felt when I started to trudge Buendia Avenue just after the turn-around. It was a long crushing climb back as I was run-walking for some time. I managed to check my bearings and resisted to stop at the Buendia flyover return path, jogging my way at a slow 7:30+/km pace.

I reached the 2:20 mark just after The Fort (where Embassy used to be). The last climb at 32nd avenue before the last turn to the finish wouldn't come any sooner as I hoped to finish running.

The finish arc welcomed me at 2:26:01 (Garmin gun time).

POST MORTEM

I'm happy with the 4-minute improvement (based on chip time) since my last half-mary last May (Goldilocks), but I've a lot of catching up to do in terms of my long runs. December's QCIM 42km is very tempting to register for, especially now that I've decided to resume my base-building via the Maffetone method. But without complying to doing the long run, another 42km via QCIM might turn out to be a waste of effort.

I'll probably go at it for 2 months of 143-max HR workouts as recommended. Going raceless will also be a consequence as I hope to prioritize building my aerobic engine before pursuing races. Or, I could still reg for races but will control myself from exceeding 143 HR. This would be good especially if I join half-marys just so I can follow my scheduled long run.

I just hope that this thing that I'm trying out will be rewarding in the end.

We'll see in 2 months.

Trading in my lawn mower for a jet engine

"You can either try to race with an engine the size of a lawnmower or you can build your engine up with a good base so that you are racing with a huge-turbo charged jet engine."

---Mark Allen

I got quite interested in the Maffetone method of training after reading one of Baldrunner's posts (here). My triathlete-officemate, @paopedal, recommended me to try it too since he says that the basis for such "low max HR" limits for 3 months will eventually increase one's aerobic capacity. I won't bore you with the details since there's a lot out there in the Internet for your mind to digest.

Well, I'm sold to trying this out due to the following:

• less injuries
• pace improvement (imagine running sub-7:00/km pace at 8:30/km effort!)
• last but not least, aerobic training burns fat! (two thumbs up!!!!)

I tried this out last weekend on my scheduled long run. As expected, I was jogging at a very pedestrian 8:30/km pace, limiting the heart rate displayed on my GF305 to 143 (180 minus my age). It really took a lot of self-control not to go fast. Amazingly, I finished my workout after 15km without the need to munch a GU pack! Average pace was 9:01/km and calorie burn was less than 900. What was great about it was that I never felt hungry until noon (I'd normally shake in hunger at around 11am after a morning long run, a trigger that I really need to eat). There was also no knee pain like I normally get hours after.

This is definitely something, I thought. Actually I've been doing pseudo-Maffetone running before but not exclusively doing easy runs for 2-3 months straight. Tempo and interval runs are stacked in once a week, at the least. I ran easy on easy days, and ran hard on hard days.

Well, I will resume this next week since I've registered for the Run United2 21k this Sunday. By next week, I'll do all my runs exclusively below the recommended 143 max HR and see if my aerobic pace improves in 2 or 3 months ---right on schedule for Condura 42km 2012!

Wish me luck!

Company Sportsfest 2011 10k: Sub-60 3-Peat?

PRESSURE COOKER

I was somehow pressured going into this 10k race for three things. First, no thanks to the constant rains I wasn’t able to run much for the past weeks (the only run I had last week was an 8km tempo including warmup and cooldown wherein I paced 6:10-6:40/km). Logging below average weekly mileage for the past 2 weeks got me worried.

The second reason was that this would be my 3rd 10k race since IRFI and Mizuno wherein I finished sub-60. Yup, there is that pressure for me to three-peat. I guess this was how Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls team mates felt back in the 90s? Nah, maybe not.



The last reason for me to feel pressured to perform is that this race was organized by the company where I work in. There are a lot of recreational but competitive runners here so one’s finish time would be a good lunch break or water cooler topic among peers. If you had been following this blog for some time, I made a similar race report last year in our company run (15km) where I barely survived the charge of a fast runner (because he started 10 minutes late). To be honest, there was more of a desire for me to compete rather than pressure since I WANTED to run my best in this race. In a company where mostly everyone knows everybody, it would be great to finish somewhere on the upper half of the finishers’ list.


HALA SPRINT, SIGE!

As the 10-to-1 countdown sent the 10k runners off at BGC, I remembered my learnings from previous races, specifically: don’t rush at the start. Unfortunately for most of the 10k runners, they must’ve felt like Usain Bolt. “Remember that this is a 10km race, not a 1km sprint,” I told myself as I refrained from going all-out. I was just below 6 minutes by the 1st kilometre and I intended to keep it that way throughout the race. Going near 5:30/km or below would be suicide for me unless it’s the last kilometre.

As expected, as I reached the 32nd street uphill from 5th avenue going towards Market-Market, the runners who sprinted from the starting line were dropping their pace. Some would walk, some would be breathing heavily as they tried to hang on to their earlier km pace, to no avail. My patience was paying off as I started overtaking.

By the British School path I had overtaken most of the runners, except of course, for those aiming for sub-55/50 times. A sub-55 or sub-50 finish may come for me but not on this race. Probably in two or three years perhaps?


HALFWAY PACE, CHECK!

I reached the 5km mark in 29:04. I was doing well compared to IRFI (28:14) and Mizuno (28:44) since I was able to strategize my pace as even as possible per km. Bottomline, I didn’t over-exert myself at the first half of the race.

The rain started to pour when I reached 8th(?) street, a 400-500m downhill, turnaround, and uphill at the same distance. I had to keep myself conscious of my form and pace, glancing at my Garmin from time to time and feeling my footstrike. Fatigue would cause me to heel strike so I had to constantly check that I strike midfoot/forefoot all the time.


SPRINT TAYO BATA?

By the last 2 kilometers I was still feeling good, overtaking a few more running officemates along the way. At the last turn to the finish (passing the Nike store), I glanced at the timer above the finish arc: it read 57 minutes and counting. My 10k PR was 59minutes+ so I knew a new PR was in the bag. Nice!

At the last 100 meters, the last guy I overtook from 32nd street had probably managed to sprint from the last turn since I heard his footsteps approaching me rapidly from behind. I wasn’t going to give up my place in the finisher’s list that easily so I went to sprint myself. I was pleasantly surprised that I still managed to out-kick him as I crossed the line about 2-3 seconds ahead of him.

57:57 (Garmin, unofficial).

Another 10k PR! Woohoo! Thank you Looord!!!

Yup, I think it’s time to run another half-marathon soon.

Run United 2 anyone?


SIDENOTE: BUKAS-KOTSE GANG

As our company sportsfest was ongoing, news spread of the unfortunate incident of 2 (or more) vehicles by our officemates being robbed of cash and valuables. They parked on that makeshift parking lot along the street near NBC Tent (parking teller is situated just next to the said tent, across The Fort Strip). Some of the owners were understandably furious at the security guards since they were supposed to man the area from would-be looters. I hope this sad incident serves as a warning to all runners (not only in BGC but in other race venues as well) to securely lock their vehicles as they race. Don’t leave valuables in the car as well.

Take care and happy running!

So the 1st person to do this died?

I saw this on running.competitor.com. A hilarious take on how other people see us runners.

Hehehe....